The Comanchero Frontier

A History of New Mexican-Plains Indian Relations

New Mexican Comancheros were free to roam the plains to trade goods, and when Americans intruded, the Comanches and New Mexicans even joined in a loose, informal alliance that made the American occupation of the plains very costly. Similarly, in the 1860's the Comancheros would trade guns and ammunition to the Comanches and Kiowas, allowing them to wreak a gruesome toll on the advancing Texans.